Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff pushed to strengthen support for federal RAISE program awarding grant for The Stitch

The Stitch is an investment to reclaim urban green space, invest in new, affordable housing, connect pedestrians to green space, and more

Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff also pushed Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to prioritize federal support for The Stitch

Funding follows recent funding securement for ATL Beltline Southside Trail

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) announced a $900k planning grant to The Stitch in Atlanta. The grant, awarded from the Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, will go toward the development of The Stitch in downtown Atlanta, a proposed investment to reclaim and provide access to urban greenspace; develop new, affordable housing; reconnect communities divided by existing infrastructure barriers; and more. In addition to building support for the project on the federal level, including pressing the importance of the project to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the Senators also successfully advocated to strengthen federal funding for the RAISE program through the bipartisan infrastructure deal recently signed into law, which will strengthen future federal opportunities for The Stitch and other job-creating economic developments across the state.

“Everyone in our communities is better off when we bridge physical divides, invest in green space, and connect residents to all the resources and economic opportunities around them,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. ”Projects like The Stitch do just that, and I’m going to keep proudly pushing to bring more federal investments to innovative, economy-boosting ideas that help Georgians get around their communities and thrive.”

“This project has the potential to transform the connector, bridging the West side and East side with greenspace and pedestrian-friendly development. I look forward to welcoming Secretary Buttigieg back to Georgia in the coming months to brief him on all the exciting opportunities to improve quality of life in our state,” said Senator Ossoff.

The Stitch project will create green space spanning from the I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector between the Civic Center MARTA Center at West Peachtree Street and Piedmont Avenue. The Stitch will also connect communities with safer options for pedestrians, and help restore communities divided by highways running through the city. The award follows Senators Warnock and Ossoff’s recent announcement of $16.5 million from the RAISE program to complete the Beltline’s Southside Trail, and their procurement of multiple measures for Georgia within the bipartisan infrastructure deal—recently signed into law—that will invest in cleaner, greener infrastructure throughout the state; this includes Senator Warnock’s successful efforts to secure $1 billion in the package specifically to help fund community-connecting transportation projects like The Stitch.

“We applaud the outstanding leadership of Senators Warnock and Ossoff in helping to secure this meaningful grant,” said A.J. Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. “Funding from USDOT’s RAISE grant program will be instrumental in advancing the Stitch project in Downtown Atlanta, which will cap Interstates 75 and 85 with new parks, safe streets, and transit access that will directly benefit the quality of life for surrounding communities.”

Senator Warnock led multiple letters championing federal funding for the project, and raised the importance of funding job-creating projects like The Stitch in a Senate Banking meeting in May. As a proud member of the Commerce Committee, he fought hard to authorize the RAISE grant program in the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 (STIA), and ensure the popular program received robust funding when STIA was included as part of the bipartisan infrastructure deal. The award comes on the heels of President Biden signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, which includes multiple investments secured by Senator Warnock to repair and revitalize Georgia’s physical infrastructure.

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